Rep. Hoekstra: “You would have thought...(Bush) would recognize he is not leading (on Iraq) anymore"

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http://www.ludingtondailynews.com/news.php?story_id=34550

Hoekstra 'nervous' about Bush Iraq strategy

U.S. Congressman Pete Hoekstra is nervous about President George W. Bush’s announced deployment of an additional surge of 21,500 American troops into Iraq. The President, he said, is no longer leading on the issue of Iraq.

“I’m just not sure that it is a strategy that will enable us to be successful,” Hoekstra told the Daily News Thursday afternoon. “It appears to be a heavy dependence on a military approach.”

The war in Iraq, Hoekstra said, needs other components that Bush hasn’t integrated into the plan. While components such as education, communication and a maturing political policy can be added later, Hoekstra said, “I’d prefer to have them added sooner and be operating in parallel with the military component. Some of these things could have been done months ago.”

Hoekstra is puzzled why that hasn’t yet happened.

“You would have thought with the results of the election and the public opinion polls, he (Bush) would recognize he is not leading (on Iraq) anymore. Leaders have followers. Right now 27 percent of the people support the president on Iraq. That’s not leadership in my definition. People have to understand why he’s going where he’s going. I’m sure he genuinely believes this is the right thing to do, but he’s not effective in telling that story.”